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Monday, 30 March 2015

One of the advantages of living on top of one of the highest points around London is the wonderful view; the downside is the fact that the back of our house is very exposed when the wind blows from the west ... and yesterday afternoon it was hit by very gusty winds and heavy rain.

The sound of the wind and rain was almost deafening in our conservatory, and our garden fence started to sway as the wind gusted around it ... and then – at about 3.30pm – we heard a very loud crack and the top two fence posts of our garden fence snapped off at ground level, taking the top two fence panels with them and damaging a third. Once these fence posts had gone the rest of the fence began to sway even more violently in the wind, and several of the other fence posts and panels looked as if they were also very likely to go as well.

By the time that the weather began to improve it was too dark to see how bad the total damage was. One thing was obvious, however, and that was that the fence will need to be replaced as it is too badly damaged to be repaired.

I have spent this morning removing the damaged part of the fence ... which is now stacked up in our driveway.

Before ...

... and after the damaged part of the fence was removed.

I have already had one quote to replace the existing fence, and it looks as if it is going to cost between £1,000 and £1,200 depending upon the type of replacement posts and fence we choose to have installed.

The concrete bases holding the broken posts in place are too heavy for me to move; I know, because I tried to move one this morning! That - and the weight of the broken wooden panels I had to move - convinced me that I need to get an expert in to do the work.

I have already had one quote for a replacement fence, and I am waiting for another to be done later this afternoon.

Are you looking forward to receiving your state retirement pension? I did ... until I received my occupational pension and discovered that HMRC had already claimed back seven week's worth of Income Tax on it! Very unwelcome even though it was not unexpected.

One of the 'joys' of living in London is the cost! I'm not sure how much things cost where you live, but a one bed flat in a converted fire station just 200m from my house costs £175,000 to buy, and the average price of a small 3-bed terraced house in nearby streets is between £275,000 and £350,000.

My wife and I are thinking about moving out of London now that we are retired, and have been told by local estate agents to wait until 2018 before we do so. That is the year when a fast rail link (Crossrail) will be built between close to where we live and Heathrow Airport, passing through central London en route. They estimate that house prices in our area will rise by at least 50% over the next three years ... and that would well worth waiting for.

All things considered, £1,000 to £1,200 for a new fence seems quite cheap in comparison.

Bob, Sorry to learn of this misfortune.Evelyn recently paid c.£2000 to have a fence erected around the rear garden of her property in Nottingham, which looks similar in height/size to yours.She did, however, have concrete posts - like those we have in our back garden here - which may be more wind resistant and you might like to consider. They have a 'U' section running vertically down them, into which the fence panel slides. This has proved useful on occasion I have lifted out a damaged panel to repair it and then lowered it into place again.Regards,Arthur

I tried levering one of the concrete bases out with a long crowbar ... and could barely shift it. I tried hitting it with a large sledgehammer to break it up ... and all I managed to do was to break a few flakes of concrete off and get blisters on my hands.

It is going to need a pneumatic drill/hammer to remove the concrete, and they cost £100 per day to hire locally. According to my local branch of Wickes, the posts will cost £15.00 each, the gravel boards £12.00 each, and the panels £15.00 each. I need 11 posts and 10 panels and gravel boards, so the cost of materials is £425.00. Add in the cost of hiring the pneumatic drill/hammer for a day, and doing it myself doesn't look that cheap when compared to the cost of getting someone else to do it for me. It will also spare my wife and neighbours from hearing me swear long, loud, and often ... and will spare me the back pain I will undoubtably have afterwards!

As Clint Eastwood said in DIRTY HARRY, 'A man's got to know his limitations' ... and I know mine too well.

Bob- the Quotes seem awfully expensive for what would amount for three to four panels of fencing- installed. Have you considered metal fencing panels - in the form of Colour Bond- supplied with a well formed frame this type of fence will well and truly stand up to the rigors of strong winds- worth considering. Regards. KEV.

The whole fence needs to be replaced as two of the other posts are rotten and about to snap off at ground level, and all the panels are falling apart.

The quote is for fitting 11 new post and 10 new panels, removal of the existing fence, and 2 days labour. Bearing in mind that the garden has a 1:10 slope down and a 1:20 slope across, the fence will need gravel/kick boards fitted as well.

I must admit that we hadn't thought about using metal fencing ... but we will certainly have a look at it now.

Sorry to hear about the expensive damage. Some days the weather just doesn't seem much like a friend.

We almost had the roof of our woodshed/workshop collapse under the weight of snow. Luckily I was able to shore it up and spent a couple of hours pulling snow off. A proper fix is now on the list for this summer.

Like you I don't mind doing minor work around the house, but anything that requires two or more people and specialist equipment gets handed over to the professionals. I discovered some years ago that taking that course of action was quicker, there were fewer problems, and it ended up being done properly.

The only lasers that are likely to be used are those that will line up the new fence. I don't think that my neighbours would appreciate their children being 'zapped' if they got too close to the boundary between our gardens,

It would be nice not to have a fence, but having one does help stop the soil erosion we suffer from. (Our house is on a slope that goes down and across the garden, and over the years rainfall has tended to wash soil down the slope. The fence has helped reduce the amount of erosion by acting as a dam.)

We did consider terracing our garden, but the cost was prohibitive. It would have required at least four sets of brick retaining walls, which would have had to have been built from yellow London stock bricks (a local building regulation as we live on the edge of a conservation area). A lot of earth would also have had to have been dug out and moved.

Finally (and this is absolutely true) if the digging had exposed any archaeological remains, all work would have had to have stopped and we would have had to pay for an archaeological survey. (This might sound ridiculous but we live in an area where Neolithic and Roman remains have been found. Some years ago TIME TEAM did a dig just up the road from us, and just over 100m away there are two tumuli.)

Bob, when I walked in to feed our outdoor cat, nearly tripped over the brojen pieces and then saw the roof and rafters sagging, it took me back to Damage Control School 40 years ago and I could almost hear a Petty Officer snarling, "com'on sir that things going to fall on your head and on your melting pot and stack of molds! what are you going about?"

Luckily I keep a stack of 2x4 lumber in case and was able to fasten a few into improvised 4x4 posts which I wedged into what looked like the most critical spots . Then I went out and pulled the snow down by standing on planks laid on top of 5ft snow banks. I've never seen quite so much snow for so long.

I'll have to do more serious repairs should spring eventually arrive but the cat was grateful.

It sounds as if it was rather lucky that you noticed the problem before it became a whole lot worse! That - and your damage control training and your supply of 'spare' wood - stood you in good stead on this occasion.

I assume that the roof is a flat incline and not pitched, and is therefore not designed to 'shed' the snow when it falls. Mind you, with the amount of snow that you seem to have had, I doubt that that would have made much difference!

It would appear that you are going to have one or two largish projects to do around your home as a result of this winter's weather. Luckily you are a bit more practical than I am, otherwise it would be costing you a small fortune.

Unfortunate, but it looks like that old fence didn't owe you anything more. Still annoying to replace, but anything you can do to make money on the home sale will be advantageous, and it sounds like you would be well advised to hang on for a bit until that rail line goes through.Quite like the moggy in the second photo.

Ross Mac - I have one of those snarling NCOs as my superego as well - mine is a crusty old Signals MWO who was the chaperone on my Padre Basic Course - he could freeze the blood by whispering.

The fence had served its purpose well for thirty years, and had reached its 'use by' date. We would have had to replace it anyway sometime soon, and certainly by 2018 if we decide that that is when we are going to sell up and move.

The cat is called 'Fluffy' and is a regular visitor. It would like to move in, but our cat has made it very clear that she is not going to allow that! 'Fluffy' is a very beautiful cat to look at ... but is not the brightest animal that I have ever had to deal with.

The good old-style NCOs! Where are they now? Coming from a lineage of sergeant majors (both my father and grandfather reach WO rank) I learned to shout so that it hurt people's ears ... and an unsurpassed command of certain elements of the Anglo-Saxon language. (I still marvel at the way someone could use the 'f' word as a noun, adjective, and verb ... in the same sentence!)

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The First Rule of Wargaming and the Spirit of the Wargame

The First Rule:

‘Nothing can be done contrary to what could or would be done in actual war.'

- From 'The Rules of the Naval War Game' by Fred T Jane

The Spirit of the Wargame:

‘Wargames are played, for the most part, without the supervision of an umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual players to show consideration for other players and to abide by the rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the wargame.’

- Adapted from 'The Spirit of the Game' in 'The Rules of Golf' as published by the R&A Ltd.

About Me

I have been wargaming for as long as I can remember. One of the first toys that I was bought was a wooden fort that was garrisoned by assorted lead soldiers ... and I have never looked back!
The first wargames book I bought was CHARGE! (although I had taken out [and repeatedly read] Donald Featherstone's WAR GAMES book beforehand [and many thanks to John Curry for republishing it!]).
My first 20mm figures were the good old Airfix Guards Infantry and Band (in shocking pink!), soon followed by others as they were released, and by 1968, when I bought my first metal Hinton Hunt 20mm figures, I had a large collection of World War II figures, tanks, guns, and aircraft.
I was a founder member of WARGAME DEVELOPMENTS and have been the treasurer and membership secretary ever since. I have also organised – along with Tim Gow - the annual conference (COW – Conference of Wargamers) for the past ten years.
My main interests are wargaming any wars from 1850 onwards, although I have a special interest in Colonial, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II wargaming.
I also have a special interest in wargames that use square or hex grids for movement and weapon ranges.